Wills Kitchen

Holly Cessna 1989-2012

2012-01-15T19:19:00.000-06:00

On Friday January 6 my niece Holly died peacefully in her sleep.
She was a cancer survivor of five years.
There are holes in my heart were family and friends used to be,
Holly’s is a little bigger.
Will be back to cooking soon.

Tamale Casserole

2012-01-04T18:10:00.001-06:00

I found this under Group Recipes as I was looking for a Tamale casserole. Now I love Tamales but I do not need dozens of them so I was hoping for a casserole that might do the trick. Well I guess we will just have to get them from the new restaurant we have been eating at. The Mesquite grill at the metro center in Jackson.
We have had several things from their menu now and must say they do have some good tamales.
Back to this recipe. We had a pablano pepper left over from the soup we made so we thought we would use it in this dish.

1 lb ground beef(we have deer meat and used that)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 small bell pepper chopped
1 cup celery chopped
1 can whole tomatoes (we used a can of diced)
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
2 cans corn (drained)
1 can chopped green chilies
2 eggs slightley beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 to 3 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 pablano pepper seeded and chopped (this is optional)
1/4 lb shredded sharp cheddar cheese

In a large skillet saute the ground beef. Add bell pepper,celery and onion and cook until beef is coked and onions onion is clear.

Add tomatoes with liquid, cornmeal and corn blend well then add eggs, salt,pepper, chili pepper and cumin and paplano pepper and ground beef mixture mix and pour into 2quart deep casserole with lid or or use foil

Cover and bake for 45 minutes or till casserole is set
Remove and sprinkle with cheese bake till cheese is melted.
Garnish with olives, avocado and sour cream

Pablano Shrimp Corn Chowder/Soup

2012-01-02T16:02:00.000-06:00

This is a terrible picture for such a good soup. It says its a chowder but for me a chowder is thicker than this. Who knows maybe I got it wrong.

It also was not nearly as hot as I thought it would be. Wife has ruined me, I can take more heat than I used to. It does have a lot of ingredients but does not take a long time to cook most time is spent in the prep work.

1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined cut in half or more if very large. wife likes bite size so she gets a little with each spoonful.
1 Tablespoon butter
3-4 slices bacon
1 small yellow onion chopped
6 cloves of garlic minced
3 stalks of celery diced
1 pablano chili seeded and diced. (can use two if small we used one large may go for two next time.)
1 Tablespoon jalapeno chili minced (use gloves!!!)
2 ears of corn cut off cob (we used some we had put up in the freezer)
2 medium white potatoes in 1/2 inch cubes (can use can) we had russet
2 cans sweet cream style corn
2 cans chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup half and half
1 Tablespoon corn starch mixed with 1 Tablespoon cold water
Salt and pepper to taste
Cayenne and chili powder to taste
1/3 cup cilantro
cilantro and cheese to garnish (cheddar pepper jack or what ever you like)

Cook potatoes in water till tender drain and cool
Melt butter in large pot and cook bacon till browns slightly. Add celery,onion,garlic,jalapenos and poblano and saute till slightly softened about 5- 8 minutes.
Now add corn, cream corn,chicken broth,spices,salt and pepper,half and half and milk bring to a boil.
Reduce to a simmer and add potatoes,cornstarch and cilantro
simmer for 20 minutes
Add shrimp and cook till pink about 5 minutes
serve with cheese and extra cilantro.

Sunday Cats and Happy New year

2012-01-01T13:05:00.000-06:00

Moon is enjoying the deer leg bone with a little meat still on it.

Butter

2011-12-29T17:52:00.000-06:00

Along with the banana bead I got this butter at the farmers market. It is the best butter we almost died when we had it on a biscuit and it was pretty darn good on the banana bread.
It is made by some Amish people and is well worth getting.

Banana Bread

2011-12-28T18:43:00.001-06:00

I know we posted this before I think with out a picture. Our pecans just make it so much better.
1/2 cup butter room temp.
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed banana about 3
1/2 cup pecans (we added just a few more)
/2 cup sour cream
cream butter,sugar,eggs and vanilla
add dry ingredients then bananas,nuts and sour cream
Mix well then pour in 1 large greased loaf pan
bake in preheated oven 350 for 1 hour.
let cool then take out of pan.

Deer leg and roast

2011-12-27T18:02:00.001-06:00

pull apart shoulder

roast roast

shoulder

shoulder
We were lucky to be given three pieces to deer. One we had ground meat made up and the other two pieces we roasted in the oven. We still have meat in the freezer from these two pieces. We went ahead and cooked them as we have a small chest freezer and we didn't have room for much else. This was cooked on two different weekends. We did the shoulder first and the roast (we think that was what it was) two weeks later. Needles to say we have ate a lot of deer meat.

On both we pretty much did the same thing.
This is an all day event so plan accordingly. Once its in the oven its just a mater of time.
Using a dry rub of your choice (we used DJ's the same we used on the pork butts) and wrapped it in plastic and placed in the frig over night.
The next morning place in roasting pan add more of the seasonings then sprinkle with olive oil. Add onions,carrots,celery.
Place in 325. oven uncovered.
after one hour pour apple juice, beer or chicken stock (we used apple juice) cover and cook for 6 to 8 hours till it falls apart.
On the second one we placed slices of bacon on top to give it some more fat.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T13:02:00.002-06:00

Hope everyone is having a great Christmas. Sweetie Pie got a little festive this year. Still hoping we can find Baby Girl a home. She is real shy but after we get her out from behind the bed she loves to be petted.
I will post some new food this coming week as I have been busy with work. They have me working some crazy hours this year so not much new cooking has been going on. We have revisited some of our older recipes but we have got a few e new ones that were real tasty.
Sweetie Pie got a little festive this year.

Sunday Cat Baby Girl Needs a home !

2011-12-04T13:02:00.002-06:00

About 2 months ago this baby showed up barley able to walk. She would flop over if she got excited or if Mommy Socks or Gin Gin got near her. And of course Gin Gin did not want her around and would go pop her. She would sit on the edge of the patio till all the other cats had eaten then she would creep up to the bowl. Wife has been sitting out every morning, afternoon and night talking to her and moving the food bowl closer to her. We thought she may have had a broken leg or back by her actions. We were afraid we would hurt her if we made a grab for her and if we missed it would take a long time for her to get close again. And she was doing better since she had some food.
All the outside kitties know when we whistle its feeding time(even the opossum and coons come). So we have to guard them from the unwanted critters while they eat.
With the cold weather wife decided Sunday she had to make a go of catching her. Success, she was grabbed placed in a pillow case and brought in the house to a large carrier and only bit once while petting her.
Monday it was off to the vet. Poor baby knew we were cat people as she loved being petted and really liked her face rubbed. She was real good at the vets and they ran all the virus test (FLV,FIV,HW). She was clean and vaccines and rabies shots given, spayed and x rays showed no broken bones so they are not sure why she has trouble walking. It could have been from a tick or a blood clot.
If any one can give this sweet baby a inside home please let us know. It would be best if there were no other cats or maybe one female as she can not defend herself well.

Cheese Ravioli with Shrimp Tomato Sauce

2011-12-03T18:42:00.002-06:00

This is a Taste of Home Recipe and they always have good ones. we picked up some cheese ravioli from Sams as we have not made our own yet.
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1 can Italian stewed tomatoes
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 bay leaf
1 whole clove
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper or to taste
2 packages ( 9 oz each) fresh or frozen cheese ravioli
1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (we used half and half)
1/2 lb shrimp (peeled)
1 Tablespoon Parmesan cheese (we used more)
1 Tablespoon minced chives
Process tomatoes in blender till pureed
In a large skillet,saute onion in butter until clear. Stir in flour until blended. Bring to a boil and stir till thickened.
Add tomatoes,brown sugar,bay leaf,clove,basil,salt and pepper to onion mixture. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer and cover for about 10 minutes.
Cook ravioli according to package. Remove bay leaf and clove from sauce. Gradually sir in cream, add shrimp and heat till shrimp turn pink.
Drain ravioli top with sauce, cheese and chives.

Pecans

2011-12-01T18:28:00.001-06:00

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I want to thank my sister for cooking all the good food. We brought deviled eggs and a sweet potato casserole and forgot to take a picture. Ooh well that just means we will have to make another one. They are like a desert really.
And this year our pecan trees have pecans. The last two years they did not do good and we ran out of pecans. Wife has been cracking like a little squirrel, and still has a few bags to go. We have about 3 gallon bags put up and some sent to mother in law a friend and sister in law.
Wife has been under the weather the last few days and only wanting sprite and cheese and crackers so I have not been cooking. She got sick standing in the drizzle and rain last week trying to catch a kitten. She did get her Sunday night.

Shrimp and Chicken Jambalaya

2011-11-21T15:04:00.000-06:00

This is the first time I tried a jambalaya not from a box. It turned out real good and now we may try my mother in laws next time. We got this from a book called Beyond Grits and Gravy and it has some nice recipes in it.
2 medium onions chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
2 ribs celery chopped
1 large green pepper chopped
2/3 cups uncooked rice
2 cups chicken broth
8 oz chicken cooked and cubed
1 16 oz can stewed tomatoes
8 oz shrimp
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 pepper
salt to taste
and we added some red pepper flakes because we like it hot and a little Zaterans.
In hot (large) skillet cook onions,garlic,celery, and bell pepper until tender.
Add remaining ingredients
Bring to a boil, cover reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes or till rice is done, stirring occasionally.

Sunday Cats

2011-11-20T13:01:00.000-06:00

Stinker loves this cool weather.
I have some real weird hours that I have to work this week like at night so I will not be home for dinner and we have been making some of our older recipes and not any much new.
Also I.m back to 5 days a week sure will miss having Friday off. We did our regular shopping Saturday and it was a mad house. We get spoiled by shopping on Fridays.
I would like to tell everyone in Jackson of a new Mex Restaurant called El Mezquite Grill.
This just opened at metro center mall. Our go to Mexican restaurant has been Salsa.s But we were really impressed the two times we went here. In fact we brought home food both times.
They did a good chili relleno last time and one of the best tamales I've had. They also bring a bowl of looks like black beans with cheese dip with your chips and salsa. We really like this and are going to see if we can duplicate it. The restaurant its self is very nice inside so go give it a try.

Spinich Pinwheel appetizers

2011-11-18T18:49:00.001-06:00

Our computer went haywire after some thing happened on some update. I had to reload everything and on the email I could not find the paper with our pass words for it. Its hell getting old and can't find stuff. A long with that we had to make something for the reception at the Crystal Springs Art show and I had to wait on getting the computer back up and running.
Here is the pinwheels they looked real pretty and would look real festive for Christmas with a sliver of red pepper rolled in the middle for color.
2 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained and squeezed dry with paper towels.
1 8 oz cream cheese softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 envelope ranch dip mix
1 jar bacon bits or to taste
4 green onions chopped
1 8 count flour tortillas
Mix cream cheese,sour ream and mayonnaise
add green onions bacon bits and spinach mixing thoroughly
spread mixture onto tortillas leaving 1/2 inch all around edge
roll up tightly and wrap in plastic
chill over night or at least several hours
cut end off and slice in 1/2 or 1/4 size.

Sunday Cats

2011-11-06T12:42:00.000-06:00

This is wife's painting of Wolfie and Trouble from the above picture. Fads and Frames had some straw hay bales and she thought they looked good sitting on the bale of hay.

Cheddar and Green Onion Biscuits

2011-11-03T18:34:00.000-05:00

How can anyone not like a biscuit. The green onion make the biscuit.
2 cups Bisquick
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (we like the sharp for more flavor)
4 medium green onions sliced about 1/4 cup
2 Tablespoons butter.
Preheat oven 450.
Stir Bisquick,milk,cheese and onions until soft dough forms
drop rounded teaspoon onto greased cookie sheet
Bake 7 to 9 minutes remove and brush with warm butter.

Broccoli Rice Casserole

2011-11-02T18:19:00.001-05:00

This is a really old recipe I had and have not made it in a very long time. Found it going threw my recipes the other day and thought I would make it again. Must say as a side dish it makes a LOT. I did think as we wee eating it if we added diced chicken and made it a main meal it it would have been better. May give it a try next time. Also this is the first time I have used Velveeta cheese other than making the rotel dip in I don't know when.
2 cups cooked rice
1 small box frozen broccoli.... cooked
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup onion (we added more)
1/4 cup celery *we also added more)
can of mushrooms or fresh if you want to
one small box Velveeta cheese cubed about 2 cups
saute onion and celery in butter or olive oil till clear
mix all ingredients together and place in a buttered baking dish and cook at 350 for about 30 minutes.

Wife did good

2011-10-31T17:12:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to congratulate wife on her work at the VAA this past Sat. She got second place in oils for her Green Tomatoes and an honorable mention on Barn yard cats. Better yet The figs and bowl got purchased so it has a new wall to hang on. Yea. I will put up the barnyard cats this Sunday but here is the figs and tomatoes. It is food related.
Our friend Lisa also got 1st place in Photography Mono with her shadow people. Two of wife's past teachers got first place in oil Ms A and Ms McCarty in mixed media.
All in all it was a nice show with some real good goodies.

Sunday Cat

2011-10-30T13:01:00.001-05:00

Wolfie wishing every one a safe and happy Halloween.

Mexican roasted corn in skillet

2011-10-28T17:08:00.000-05:00

We love the flavors used in Mexican corn on the cob so we justed adapted it to a skillet.
We use two ears of corn for us off the cob.
Place in cast iron skillet
corn.
1 Tablespoons butter,
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 Tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon mayo
1/2 cup feta cheese. (can use monterry jack)
1 Tablespoon cilantro can add extra for garnish.
mix well and place in 375 heated oven.
after taken out of oven sprinkle with lime juice to taste.

Wifes paintings

2011-10-27T17:11:00.002-05:00

You are the first to see this one its called Maw Maw's fig bowl.
Wife said that she always remembers her grandmother had fig preserves in this bowl when they went to visit. Now we also use it for figs.
Just wanted to invite any one around Vicksburg this Sat. to the Vicksburg Art Association's big fall show. Reception is 8 to 10 at the old Firehouse Gallery at 1204 Main Street.

Spinich and Artichoke Poppers

2011-10-26T16:49:00.000-05:00

We see poppers all over the blogs and have not tried one yet. We had some of the spinach and artichoke we could not get in the bowl. So why not put it in some jalapenos.
USE gloves or we used plastic bag to clean out the seeds. And wash your hands afterwards.
Place mixture in pepper Top with cheese and place under broiler a few minutes till pepper is cooked.

Spinich and artichokes

2011-10-25T16:26:00.001-05:00

This is a repeat as when I posted it the first time I did not have a photo.
It is also a recipe that was very popular a few years ago. Its some cheesy goodness.
10 0z box of frozen spinach
1 pkg of cream cheese cut in cubes
1 Tablespoon butter
1 small onion chopped
1 small jar marinated artichokes drained and chopped
1 teaspoon garlic
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
mushrooms chopped(optional)
To taste
salt
pepper
Greek seasonings (Cavenders)
Parsley
Basil
Red pepper,white pepper
Pre heat oven to 350
Cook spinach according directions on box, Pour in a colander and drain well.
In same pan melt butter and cook onion till clear then add artichoke and garlic stirring about 2 minutes. Now add spinach till warm.
Turn off heat and add cut up cream cheese and 3/4 of the Parmesan and mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, heavy cream blending well. Add seasonings to taste.
Pour into ovenproof dish, sprinkle with rest of Parmesan cheese and bake for 15 to 20 minutes till hot and bubbly. We also add mushrooms and mozzarella cheese

Beef Shawerma

2011-10-24T16:12:00.001-05:00

Yum Yum we just love the seasonings we got from Aladdin's grocery in Jackson.
We took a rib eye steak and sliced it in thin slices and covered it with the seasonings and olive oil and let sit overnight.
Place on grill and cook. Does not take long in these small strips.
We had roasted potatoes and most everyone knows how to do this but we do add onion and basil and rosemary to the Lipton onion mix.
The humus recipe can be found on the side and I will post the other dishes this week.

Sunday Cat

2011-10-23T13:05:00.000-05:00

Spooky Boo looking all Halloween. He is a beauty but a terror in the house. All the other cats run and hiss when he is around.

Pizza

2011-10-19T17:36:00.000-05:00

Well we have the Bisquick and they have a thick crust pizza recipe we thought we would try.
It was ok but we felt like we were eating a Bisquick pizza. Will have to search out another crust. The toppings were good and we will have to try again. Also it said to beat the dough vigorously but there was no way had to knead it .
3 cups original Bisquick
2/3 cups hot water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/14 cup spaghetti sauce
favorite toppings (we used hot Italian sausage, cooked. Mushrooms, bell pepper and red onion.)
1 1/2 mozzarella cheese
Heat oven to 425 and use lowest rack position
Mix Bisquick water and oil until dough forms beating vigorously 20 strokes and let stand 8 minutes.
Grease pan and press dough around pinching edges to form rim.
Spread sauce and toppings all around

place in oven for 15 to 20 minutes or till cheese is melted. (Our cooks in the 15 minuet range so set the timer at 15 to check and if need more time or not)

Bisquick Pancakes

2011-10-18T17:28:00.000-05:00

We have had a craving for some pancakes lately. I know not on the diet but it has been a really long time since we had any. And we really like the Bisquick ones like I had as a kid.
So go out and get a box of Bisquick and follow the directions. And they did not pay me anything for this blog but all donations are welcome.

Cornbread

2011-10-17T17:45:00.006-05:00

We had the pork and cabbage and of course we had to have cornbread. Now the jiffy mix is good but we wanted a real sothern cornbread.

2 cups yellow self rising cornmeal
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoons bacon grease
3 Tablespoons butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
we used a 10 inch cast iron skillet
Preheat oven to 425
In cast iron skillet place butter and place in oven to melt just don't let it scorch.
put cornmeal in bowl with sugar in top.
In another bowl beat eggs add milk and bacon grease mix well. Add cornmeal with sugar and stir till cornmeal lumps are broken up and mixed in (do not over mix)
Take pan out of oven and make sure butter is covering pan good. Spoon cornbread batter in pan.
Place in oven and cook15 to 20 minutes(we did 15)
Now enjoy.

Sunday Cat

2011-10-16T13:00:00.001-05:00

This is a picture of Whiskers before we brought him in the house with the others. It took wife a while to get him and siblings to trust her.

Cabbage and Country style Pork ribs

2011-10-14T16:56:00.001-05:00

We found a good many dishes using red cabbage and county style pork ribs, but we had half of head of green cabbage. So we used a little of this and a little of that and came up with this one. By the way this is wife's dish she came up with and it sure smelled good coming home.
Two large country style rib
1/2 head of green cabbage cut up
salt and pepper to tast
2 tablespoons veg oil
1/2 large onion or one small onion chopped
one chicken bullion cube dissolved in water. (enough to cover pork a little over half way
as much lemon pepper as you want.
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar.
Season ribs with salt,pepper and lemon pepper sear on all sides in oil over med high heat till brown.
Add water and half of onions bring to a boil and turn down to simmer and cover. Cook about 2 hours turning every 20 minutes and check the water level adding more if needed. meat should be pulling away from bone.
Now turn up heat to boil and add rest of onions,cabbage add little more salt,pepper and lemon pepper, and red wine viniger and a few red pepper flakes. Reduce heat to simmer again and cover cooking till cabbage is tender stiring occasionally about 45 minutes.
This was really good and we cooked some again and ate it over rice.

The Green Goddess and cole slaw

2011-10-13T17:47:00.001-05:00

When I was growing up Green Goddess was my moms favorite salad dressing and we have rediscovered it this past summer. As you can see there is very little left in the bottle and not wanting to waste it we decided to add it to our Cole slaw and it was great. Just use our recipe on the side bar for Cole slaw and add 2 Tablespoons to the cold slaw or add till it is the right taste for you. Just be careful that you stop taste tasting at some point.

Chicken on a pot

2011-10-12T17:37:00.005-05:00

We were given a clay chicken cooker that we have not used till now. Must admit we are lazy and buy the roasted chickens from Sam's all the time. To buy a whole chicken and cook yourself we could not see any or much savings in $. We did have a hen in the freezer and decided to give this a try it is like beer can chicken. We also did a first for us by brining over night. Biggest problem this posed was finding room in the frig.
Brine

1 gallon warm water, 3/4 cup kosher salt,2/3 cup sugar,3/4 cup soy sauce,1/4 soy sauce,olive oil, lemon slices. We threw in a few pepper flakes because we wanted to. Place chicken and leave in refrigerator overnight.

Now you can use any liquid in the little well, it is the moisture cooking on the inside that is supposed to do the trick. We used a mixture of soy sauce and pineapple. Place the but of chicken on cone after pouring on liquid. We also poured some of the juice on chicken and place on indirect heat on grill( drip pan in middle just in case with coals pushed to both sides.) The nice thing with this little clay thingy is the juices stay in the well. But this was originally done with a can of beer.
We tried to tuck the wings in but they just came flapping out during the cooking.Cook for about 2 hours for a small bird and 4 for a large. We use a temp gauge to test doneness. Best gadget I ever bought.
This was a very juicy and tasty chicken. If we find some on sale we will do this again.

Summer Squash with Baked eggs

2011-10-10T18:26:00.008-05:00

This dish comes from food network.
This was ok for us but it did not knock our socks off. I guess our taste buds crave a little more excitement but it was a good way to use up some summer squash. This also made a lot so for those out there feeding more than two it is a good side dish.

2 lbs summer squash we used yellow and zucchini.
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil _ another 2 Tablespoons
2 shallots (we used yellow onion)
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 teaspoon paprika + more for sprinkling
1/2 lb tomatoes chopped
4 oz goat cheese (chevre)
1/4 cup basil sliced and extra for garnish
4 eggs
black pepper
Cut off ends of squash and using a grater or food processor grate the squash. Combine 1 Tablespoon salt and let drain in a colander in sink for about 30 minutes
Preheat oven to 375
In an oven proof skillet heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Add onions garlic and paprika and cook till tender and fragrant.
Squeeze as much of the liquid out from the squash, add to the skillet along with the tomatoes.
Cook until the mixture is tender and no longer releasing liquid, about 10 minutes.
Remove skillet from heat and stir in goat cheese and basil.
Smooth the mixture in skillet and make 4 wells with the back of a spoon and crack an egg in each one.
Sprinkle salt and pepper and paprika over eggs. Bake until egg whites and yolks are set about 10 minutes Garnish with basil and crusty bread.

By the way I have been having trouble loading my pictures. After 3 days of this I went back to my old template wish they would quit trying to improve something that works for me already. Now I have the dang spaces I can't get rid of with out going in to the html.

Sunday Cats

2011-10-09T11:05:00.001-05:00

Wife was setting up a still life with these cute pumpkins and of course everyone had to come look and check it out. Heres our Spookie Boo looking like a halloween cat.

Shrimp and jalapeno cream sauce

2011-10-03T18:48:00.037-05:00

We have to thank the site Cajun Delight for this one. http://cajundelights.blogspot.com/ This was good but next time we think we could get away just mixing in the skillet instead to heating the house with the oven.
Cook pasta acording to directions and set aside.
1 lb shrimp
1 Tablespoons cajun seasonings
1/2 cup onion chopped
1/2 cup bell pepper chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 Teaspoon thyme
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated.
Saute in a large skillet onions, celery, garlic, and bell pepper for about 5 minutes. Then add shrimp and thyme and cook for another 10 minutes stiring often. Add pasta and shrimp mix and add in casserolle dish.
Jalapeno Cream Sauce
1 or 2 jalapeno peppers seeded and chopped fine
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 Tablespoon veg. oil
salt to taste
1/3 shipping cream
2/3 cup sour cream
Saute peppers and garlic in oil over low heat stiring frequently about 4 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and whipping cream and salt mix well.
Pour over shrimp and pasta and sprinkle cheese and bake for 20 minutes at 350 or till bubbley.

Sunday Cats

2011-10-02T18:35:00.000-05:00

We have had some cooler weather and the boys are all huddled up together.They are all asleep expect the one looking out the window at the hummers. They are so fat they can hardly fly. We are getting some coming threw and tanking up as they are smaller or slimmer.

Black Crowder Peas

2011-09-27T17:01:00.002-05:00

We got some Black crowder peas at the farmers market to put up and they are a little different than the regular crowder peas we usually get they are smaller.(wife prefers the other or regular ones just what she grew up with) They were very good and as you see we have some put up in the freezer. We cooked thes like our last batch of the oldfashioned crower peas the recipe can be found on the side bar.

Southern Dinner

2011-09-26T17:51:00.002-05:00

Well summer is fading and boy will I miss the tomatoes. The last ones we got were not so good. This was a bunch of fried food which I know we are not supposed to eat much of but once a month we just can't help ourselves.
Pork chop,okra,and yellow squash with crowed peas and rice, sliced tomatoes and ice tea. And of course a biscuit.
okra and squash
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
we added a little zaterans to the mix.
1 egg well beaten
cooking oil
wash and cut up vegetables
in bowl stir flour,cornmeal salt and pepper and zaterans
pour egg over okra and squash and toss till coated dredge in flour mixture
heat oil and fry till golden brown drain well on paper towels.

Sunday Cats

2011-09-25T10:51:00.002-05:00

Aren't we cute. Two of us can squeeze into the box where Stinker can barely fit.

Stir Fry

2011-09-19T20:52:00.000-05:00

This is an easy dish to do when it is hot outside and one we did back when it was so hot, also a good way to get veggies.
1/2 cups water
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 Tablespoon chicken bullion
1 Tablespoon sherry
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon oyster sauce
ginger to taste and red pepper to your preference.
chicken in bite size pieces( we like a thighs about 4)
can of water chestnuts
can of straw mushrooms or regular
broccoli
cauliflower
carrots
really anything you want to put in there.
Its a good way to clean out the frig. squash also works.
Brown your chicken and remove from wok or skillet
add onion and other veggies and saute a few minutes.
Add sauce mixture and chicken and cook till sauce thickens and add over rice.

Sunday Cats

2011-09-18T11:32:00.000-05:00

This is our biggest cat Stinker who has taken over the box. They are so easily amused. Forget all those fancy toys just throw down a box or paper sack and let the fun begin.

Squash

2011-09-14T18:38:00.001-05:00

It is finally getting a little cooler and so nice last week end we had the window open to get some fresh air. Only bad thing is the summer bounty will be gone soon. This year we do have some stuff put up for the winter and hope to do more next year. We did a little yellow squash and this is one I really like.

Just cut up some bacon and fry a little onion and cook till tender add salt and pepper to taste. I like to add some feta cheese on top.

By the way I hate them screwing around with the blog. I have a hard time placing my pictures now. and this is the third time to do it. I just left out the other pictures because I could not get them to line up right.

Strawberry jam on toast

2011-09-13T21:35:00.001-05:00

We showed the jam we made and this is the first thing we tried it on. Toast some french bread with goat cheese and a drop of the jam. ummmm ummmmm good.

Figs and Strawberries

2011-09-12T18:35:00.001-05:00

There has not been enough time in the day. Here we did some figs and strawberry preserves in one day.

This was real simple just cook down with some sugar and put in sterile jars.

Sunday Cat

2011-08-28T13:38:00.000-05:00

Here are all three of the smitten for their Friskies commerical.

Chicken Artichokes and Pasta

2011-08-24T17:22:00.039-05:00

This was really tasty and easy and quick to fix it also made a lot.
16 oz of pasta
1 pound of chicken breast
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
(we added some red pepper flakes.. as much as you want)
3 tablespoons olive oil divided
4 to 6 oz sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cloves garlic sliced
1/4 cup onion
2 cans artichoke hearts drained and chopped
1/2 cup roasted red pepper(we used a little green as we did not have the red pepper)
3 medium plum tomatoes (we used a few home grown)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaf
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Cook pasta according directions rinse and drain
cut chicken in narrow strips and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper
In saucepan heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil over medium heat add chicken and saute stiring until cooked about 5 minutes.
Remove chicken and set aside add remaning olive oil and mushrooms,onions and bell opepper stiring until tender. Add broth. lemmon.salt and pepper to taste, garlic and artichoke hearts. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in tomato wedges, basil, chicken and pasta and heat through.
Toss with parmesan cheese before serving.

Sauteed Spinach

2011-08-23T17:02:00.003-05:00

Along with the dish yesterday we had sauteed spinach. This really cooked down to nothing compared to how it started
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 cloves garlic chopped
2 lb spinach
salt and pepper
Heat oil in skillet over med heat.
Place garlic in skillet and cook till golden brown add spinach in handfulls and season with salt and pepper cover and cook till spinach releases its liquid stirring till wilted and water has evaporated.

Lemon Chicken

2011-08-22T17:31:00.005-05:00

This was very tasty and a winner in our book. We did make it in half as its just us two but recipe is for 4.
2 lemons
4 chicken cutlets pounded thinly into scallopin
salt and pepper
flour for dredging
6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic
16 capers
10 green olives(we left this out)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
2 Tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
Squeeze juice from one and half of the lemons and reserve. Cut remaining half in very thin slices removing seed and set aside.
Season chhicken with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour and place in heated 3 tablespoons oil and 2 tablespoons butter on medium heat. Place as many pieces of chicken with out touching and cook until golden brown. Approximately 3 minutes flip and cook on other side, remove and drain on paper towel
Wipe fat up with paper towels and add remaning olive oil and butter. Scrape bits from bottom of pan add sliced garlic and lemon juice to skillet. Cook till garlic is golden brown. Add capers and olives stiring for about 4 minutes. Pour in wine and bring to a boil. Cook until wine is reduced by half. Add chicken stock and boil until slightly syrupy. Return chicken and coat with sauce add parsley and swirle into sauce.
Add to plate with sauce spooned over chicken and slice of lemon on top

Sunday Cat

2011-08-21T20:20:00.001-05:00

This is Trouble waiting for dinner. Don't you think it would make a good Friskies commercial?

Cranberry Almond wild rice

2011-08-18T18:03:00.004-05:00

Along with the dish yesterday we had this and we thought it was better than the salmon and will fix this again.
1/2 cup wild rice cook according to directions.
1/4 cup dried cranberries or craisins
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup diced celery.
salt and pepper to taste.
When rice is almost done add celery and almonds. When cooked add craisins.

Sweet Potato Crusted Salmon

2011-08-17T19:00:00.005-05:00

We had one lone sweet potato in the pantry and two salmon fillets left. So wife went searching for a recipe to use. She found this at Tuckers restaurant on the web. (she misses her Zaar where you could put what ingredients that were on hand and a bunch of recipes would pop up.) It was ok but we have had better recipes with our salmon.
salmon fillets
1 medium sweet potato
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon marshmellow cream
salt and pepper to taste
Peel sweet potato and cut in pieces and boil until tender, strain and whip potato with marshmellow fluff, butter and salt and pepper.
Bake salmon or pan sear it and place on top of salmon the sweet potato

What is it

2011-08-16T17:12:00.013-05:00

Well I have been out in the heat building a fire to clean off my new purchases. I really feel for the guys who do welding in this weather it has to be a tough job.

I wish I had taken a before picture as the 2 quart pot had so much grunge on it you could not read what size it was. It looks pretty good after I cleaned it up. The other piece I have no idea what it is. Wife did find something that looked like it and they called it a salmon cooker. Any one know what it is. It is about 20 inches long.

Southern plate

2011-08-15T18:13:00.001-05:00

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This is a good old southern dish of fried chicken rice and gravy and fried corn and sweet potato cooked in the pan like a french fry.
The chicken was dipped in egg and dusted with flour and pan seared. With that pan we made a gravy with the drippings.

This is what we have been eating. Nothing new right now. Blog is acting crazy

Sunday Cat Frosty again

2011-08-14T13:45:00.003-05:00

Here is a shot I left out last Sunday of Frosty. Frosty is the cat that is so happy to see us when we have been gone. He has this little hop he does with his tail curled almost flat on his back. He also grabs my stuff out the bag.

New Toy

2011-08-13T19:12:00.005-05:00

I have been wanting one of these for some time now and since we have been putting up some food in the freezer we decided to go ahead and get one.

We are crazy

2011-08-12T19:17:00.006-05:00

Yes we are crazy with the heat as hot has it has been to be in the kitchen. But the food has to be put up and it does not wait for cooler weather. Well maybe the figs will, we have them in the freezer and will make preserves later. There is only so many hours in the day that I am home.

We have but up some, butter beans, corn, asparagus, okra, yellow squash. (all from the farmers market) we only have a small chest freezer so it is only a half of bushel of stuff for right now and see what room we have to put up later. We want to put up some tomatoes as we have not done that in the past but while they have fresh tomatoes they have to taste better than the ones in the can now. Any one ever freeze tomatoes?

Also we seem to having extra spaces coming up on the blog and I can not get rid of them any suggestions?

How hot is it

2011-08-11T17:23:00.000-05:00

It appears the whole country is in the oven now. The raccoons that hang around the house usually come out at night but this weekend they were out early in the day and looking for something cool. The cats water bowl became a little pool for her. We know it a she because wife saw her one night late with the three babies. We usually sit with the cats to keep her away but she came really early this time. And the bugger is not scared of us. See she is watching us watch her from the window.

What has happened to my blog?????

2011-08-11T17:21:00.003-05:00

I do not know why everything has gone south. I need help trying to figure this out . has anyone else had this problem?
Well it seems to be working now.

Preserved Lemons

2011-08-09T19:05:00.007-05:00

We got this from Closet Cooking site. Now I do not know why I did this but wife wanted some and said they would be used in a dish in the future. We also bought a big bag of lemons and need to use them up.

Please see his site if you want the recipe. I have a link to his site on the side.

Sunday Cats

2011-08-07T19:06:00.005-05:00

I'm still here. Have been working out of town a lot lately and there is so much to do when home plus the heat is so bad. I will post some of the things I have been doing on my weekends. Not a lot of cooking going on right now.

This is Frosty helping me get packed. He looks likes he hates to see me go.

Remoulade Sauce

2011-07-20T10:39:00.001-05:00

OK wife hates cooks.com since they took over recipe Zaar but we do have to hunt for recipes on there and we found this kick a$$ sauce now if you are afraid of the heat look for something milder but we like the heat. Thanks Rite at Recipe Zaar (this was posted there when it was the Zaar.)
We had some fried shrimp and I found a box of Calamari which we love. Hate that the favorite place to get this has closed down. But this will do in a pinch.
1cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons whole grain mustard. (we used Creole)
2 Tablespoons ketchup
1 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup scallions
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley (we can not tell you how much a difference this herd makes from the dried kind)
1 stalk chopped celery
2 cloves garlic minced
2 teaspoons hot sauce
1/4 ground black pepper
dash of horseradish to taste.
Blend all together and chill for 1 hour. Even better the next day.

Crystal Springs

2011-07-19T11:23:00.001-05:00

Here are two of wife's paintings that was at the Crystal Springs Tomato Festival this year. The green tomatoes won honorable mention in their show. Wife found out from Ms Redneck we just missed each other at one of the vendors that we both bought goods from like the eggplant.
We ate the green tomatoes and they sure were good.

Eggplant Parmesan

2011-07-18T16:06:00.004-05:00

We really hated to have to use our oven with the temps so high but we got some egg plants at the farmers market and this recipe was one we had to give a go and boy were we glad we did.

1 egg plant (we used two small) cut into 3/4 inch slices

1 1/2 Tablespoons salt

8 Tablespoons olive oil

8 oz ricotta cheese (we used cottage cheese and we thought it needed more than what was called for.)

6 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg beaten

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

4 cups pasta sauce. (We used left over spaghetti sauce we had in the freezer

we also added mushrooms

We also did a flour, egg wash and pan fried the egg plant.

1. Sprinkle both sides of eggplant with salt and place in colander over paper towels or in sink

Allow this to sit for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350

3. In a bowl mix ricotta,mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, mix in egg and Basil

4. Rinse eggplant till salt is removed and pat dry (here we did the pan frying like above)

heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil and brown eggplant on both sides

5.We buttered a 8 x 13 baking dish then put a 1 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce layer the eggplant over sauce. Top with 1/2 cheese mixture, repeat layering till eggplant and cheese is used. Pour remaining sauce on top and we used extra Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake 30 to 40 minutes till sauce is bubbly.

Sunday Cats

2011-07-17T10:20:00.003-05:00

Its a triple decker bunk. The boys enjoy lounging on the porch even in this heat.

Watermelon smoothie

2011-07-14T17:42:00.005-05:00

We also had a watermelon for the 4th and had way more than we could eat so we made a smoothie and froze the rest.
fill the blender with watermelon chunks
3 Tablespoons honey
8 to 10 ice cubes.
1 cup yogurt
Pulse till blended wife likes it thick so may need to add more ice.

Tn Pork Loin with Nashville Barbecue Sauce

2011-07-12T16:55:00.010-05:00

This past 4th weekend we were watching TV and the show Barbecue University and they cooked this dish. I went to bed that night and all I could do was think about this piece of meat and cooking it. Luckily we had a last loin in the freezer and I knew I had to give this a try and boy was it worth it! I may cook this again it was so good and try it on some ribs.

It does have a lot of steps but don't let it scare you its not hard.

1 center cut pork loin about 21/2 to 3 pounds
5 Tablespoons Tn whiskey like Jack Daniels
2 Tablespoons Cold Mt. Rub or favorite barbecue rub (we used the Cold Mt Rub

6 Tablespoons Dijon mustard.... we used creole

1/2 cup firmly packet brown sugar + 4 Tablespoo
4 slices bacon

Nashville Sweet Barbecue sauce

Butcher's string
2 cups wood chips preferably hickory soaked for 1 hour in water then drained

Cold Mt Rub

1/2 cup kosher or sea salt(we used about 1/4)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup fresh ground black pepper (we used about 1/4)

1/2 cup paprika

Glaze

3 Tablespoons salted butter

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard(we used creole)

3 Tablespoons Tn. Whiskey

Nashville Sweet Barbecue Sauce (separate ingredients from top)

2 cups ketchup

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

6-8 fresh lemon juice about 3 -4 lemons

1 teaspoon grated lemon juice

2 Tablespoons molasses (we did not have any so left this out)

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 liquid smoke

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

we added a dash or a tiny pinch of cloves.

Combine everything together in a nonreactive pan and whisk to mix. Let the sauce gradually come to a simmer over med. heat and simmer till thick about 8 to 10 minutes.

Let cool to room temp and put in jar and refrigate until serving. Will keep for several weeks.

This was a great sauce we really liked it

A. Make the rub: place all ingredients in a bowl and mix using fingers. Store in airtight jar away from heat or light and will last 6 months

B. Make the glaze: Combine butter,brown sugar,mustard and whiskey in a saucepan and boil until syrupy, 4 to 6 minutes and set aside.

C. Using a sharp knife cut the roast almost in half lengthwise stopping about 1 inch from edge. Open like a book. Take a Tablespoon of whiskey and sprinkle over roast and let it sit for 5 minutes. Sprinkle a third of the rub on the inside of roast. Take 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard and rub on inside over the rub with spatula or spoon. Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon brown sugar over rub.

Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of whiskey over rub. and close. sprinkle remaining rub over meat on the outside.
D. Cut the butchers string into 4 pieces about 13 inches long. Position the pieces of string on work surface about 2 inches apart. Place a slice of bacon across the strings so that it is perpendicular to and in the center of strings. Set roast on top and place slices of bacon on each side and on top. Tie string starting at each ends and going to the middle last (May need two people to do this.) Set aside.
E. Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium. We used a charcoal grill grill. Place a drip pan in the center and place wood chips on coals

F. When ready place roast on hot grate and over the drip pan away from the heat and cover the grill.

We used a meat thermometer (best gadget I ever bought)

Cook the roast about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. the thermometer should read 160 to 165
Start basting roast after 30 minutes with the glaze every 15 minutes.

G. Transfer roast when done to cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes then remove strings and slice the roast and drizzle any remaining glaze over it. Serve with Barbecue Sauce on side

Still Here

2011-07-11T16:42:00.001-05:00

It has been so hot down here this summer that we have been eating mostly sandwiches. A good thing I cooked the pork buts but they are about all gone now. we have had lots of tomato sandwiches, chicken and tuna.

We have not been able to grow any of our own tomatoes this year. We have three plants that have blooms but have never set tomatoes. Wife read that it has been too hot. We took some seeds of the ones we grew last year and have planted them and we were so surprised to see them sprout up in about 2 days. so we hope to plant them and maybe have a fall crop of our own. Thank goodness the farmers market still has some. Maybe the heirlooms are a little more picky.

We also have put up a little corn and asparagus and figs are cumming in but we are hoping to have pecans this fall as last year they didn't produce. The patio has little nuts buds (Is that what one would call them) falling off, maybe because it is so dry and hot so we will see if we have a fall crop or not.

Sunday Cat

2011-07-10T16:25:00.005-05:00

This is our cat Tigger, He is a strange cat as he has this real long body like a dachshund. He is real sweet and likes to sleep on my head at night. Here he is on wife's drawing table and if you look at the photo on the porch he looks a little off but is the long body he has.

Sunday Cat

2011-06-26T13:04:00.000-05:00

This is the stool in our kitchen and the babies think it is theirs.
Frosty is under the stool defending his position and Stinker is trying to take it away. Notice the ridge down Stinks back. He is the only cat we have that does that.

Crystal Springs Tomato Fest

2011-06-21T20:38:00.004-05:00

Just wanted to let everyone in the area know to come on down to downtown Crystal Springs Sat June 25 for the Tomato Festival starting at 8 to 2.... rain or shine.
There will be a Flea Market, Farmers Market, Food and Drinks, stone ground corn meal and much more.

Over at the air conditioned Tomato Museum the Crystal Springs Art association is having a art competition.

Wife will have some paintings in the show and some for sell come by and check it out.

This Tomato panting has sold but she will have two new ones in the show.

Scallops and Shrimp bake

2011-06-20T18:12:00.003-05:00

Well I guess I should call it Imitation crab and shrimp bake.
we didn't have any scallops and a little of the imitation crab left so we used that instead. It was good but I bet with the scallops it would have been really good.
This was really fast and easy to do something we are looking for in this heat.

1/2 lb sea scallops( I bet the bay would be better they are sweeter just my opinion.)
1/2 lb shrimp pealed.
1/2 chicken or vegetable stock.
1/2 cup white wine
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic chopped
3 Tablespoons onion or one shallot chopped
1 lemon calls or Meyer but we used regular.
1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 Tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
8 oz linguini (we only had spagetti
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup crumbled feta.
red pepper to taste (optional)

Saute in skillet onions and garlic over med heat. Then add stock,wine,lemon juice,parsley and cilantro. Bring to boil.
Add sea scallops first if using. then shrimp a couple minutes later.
If using shrimp and fake crab add together and cook till shrimp turn pink. Do not over cook or shrimp will be like rubber.
Salt qand pepper to taste we also threw in some red pepper
Pour in to a casserole dish (we used a small one)
Crumble feta over top and place in oven on broil for about 5 minutes or till cheese is browned.

Sunday Cats

2011-06-19T13:04:00.000-05:00

Here are our babies a lizard was spotted on the air conditioner. They think they can entice him in the house. We have had Sweetie Pie sit at the back door when open and some how he can catch one this way. Poor lizard.

Basil,tomatoes

2011-06-16T18:00:00.001-05:00

Our Tomatoes are just staring to take off we have plenty of blooms but only two baby tomatoes. Sure hope they get going soon. We could not wait and got some from the farmers market, Our Basil is growing like gang busters.

Flat iron steak

2011-06-15T17:46:00.002-05:00

Have you heard about a steak cut called a flat iron?
Wife had read how this cut was developed to be a tender cut out of a tougher piece of meat. Its all in how it cut. Well we have known about it for at least 6 months but have not seen any in the stores. Well about a month ago Kroger had some and they were on sale so we got a few. One steak is just enough for the both of us.
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup Italian dressing
1 clove crushed garlic
Place in bag with steak and refrigerate over night.
Its to hot to get the grill out so we used the George. (we know it must be good on a grill because it turned out great with the George)
We like our steaks med rare and 6 minutes it was perfect.
We must say this was as good as the T bone we had a while back.

Chicken Salad

2011-06-14T18:27:00.006-05:00

Ok its time for the hot weather to let up now. I am dreading my electric bill. We bought a roasted chicken from the grocery store. That is the best thing they have done. In this heat it is so easy to pick up a chicken and bring home and not have to heat up the kitchen. It is just the long drive home with the smell killing you.
We will eat half and shred the rest to put up to use in another dish.
I know everyone also has a chicken salad recipe but this is the one we are using.
2 cups diced or shredded chicken (roasted chicken)

3/4 cup celery
3/4 cup seedless grapes (we added a few more more)
1 Tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of fresh chopped parsley
salt to taste we also added a dash of Greek seasonings
3/4 cup mayonnaise we felt it was not enough so we added more about a Tablespoon
you could also add a little yogurt
1/2 lemon juice
If we had any pecans we would have added them so any nut almonds walnuts also could be added.
combine all together and enjoy as a sandwich

Smoked Pork Loin

2011-06-13T18:22:00.004-05:00

When we did our pork butts in the smoker we also did a pork loin and it turned out pretty good. Not as good as the Butt but we have been eating on sandwiches made with it.

Sad Sunday Cat

2011-06-12T13:02:00.004-05:00

We had high hopes that Baby Boy(Casper was getting better. He was running around the house without his collar and skin was looking good and his old peppy self.
Then two week ago it was back into the collar and he was miserable. With the heat it must have been worse for him so we made the painful decision to send him over the rainbow bridge.
We will really miss him as he was a people cat and had such a sweet temperament, never caused a fight and loved on the other cats.
We miss you Baby Boy but know you are enjoying the sun somewhere.

Roasted garlic

2011-06-09T17:58:00.001-05:00

When we did the lamb we threw in a head of garlic to let it roast and if you have never tone this give it a try. It is so sweet and soft as butter and great spread on bread. Just wrap in foil and let it bake while you are cooking something else.
Use the cloves in other dishes to give a different flavor.

Roast leg of Lamb with Yogurt

2011-06-08T19:24:00.005-05:00

We got this recipe from CD Kitchen and it was a winner.
We got lucky our Kroger had lamb for sell back around Easter and before it got to hot we cooked this one and it was so good. The picture is not so pretty with the yogurt on it but it kept it moist.

2 1/2 lb leg of lamb with bone
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon minced garlic about another 3 cloves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary Plus another 1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper
3/4 cup plain yogurt (we used Greek)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 teaspoon flour

make small slits about 1/2 inch deep around the lamb. Cut the 3 cloves of garlic in slivers and mix with the 1 teaspoon of rosemary and insert in slits around the lamb.
Take the minced garlic in a bowel and add the 1 Tablespoon of fresh rosemary and 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice and 2 Tablespoons of olive oil mix all together. Cover the lamb with mixture and place in bag and let marinate at least 2 hours or best overnight. (we did overnight)

Basting recipe
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon rosemary
2 teaspoons garlic minced. Mix all together to use a a basting for the lamb every 29 minutes.
Pre heat oven to 350
Place lamb in roasting pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper and basting mixture.
cook for about 1/1/4 hours.

In another bowl whisk together yogurt ,cinnamon and flour. Spoon this over the lamb and continue to cook the lamb till the yogurt sauce starts to set and the lamb is done. Should read 125 for med -rare.
Take lamb out and let rest for 8 to 10 minutes then carve and serve.

We did use the left overs to make pita and artichoke sandwiches that were outstanding the recipe for that is under beef and artichoke sandwich but the lamb is so much better. We ate it before we thought to take a picture.

Pasta and Cauliflower

2011-06-07T19:09:00.001-05:00

This is one I debated about posting. I like to only put ones we would a least considered a 4 or above star rating but wife liked this one much more than I did.
I really can't believe I did not like it as we love cauliflower in most anything and we thought with pasta it would be a no brainer. There are several recipes like this one out there. I think it was the anchovies that were to much for me. This comes for the Simply Recipes site.
Please see her site for recipe.http://simplyrecipes.com/

Strawberry and Blackberry smoothie

2011-06-06T22:45:00.007-05:00

It has been so hot here as appears as most of the country is suffering from a heat wave. We have cooled off with a smoothie and have put the rest up in the freezer to pull out and cool of at a later date.
In fact this is a real good way to get ones portion of fruit a day. We used strawberries and another one with strawberries and a banana and the last with blackberries next we are trying blueberries.
And of course they are good for you.
1 cup yogurt (we use Greek)
5-6 ice cubes (we used a little more to ice it up)
sugar or honey to taste (we used about 3 tablespoons honey)
8-10 strawberries
or
1 cup blackberries or what ever fruit you like.
pour into tall glass or small glass
also can put in container or ice cub tray and freeze

Sunday cat...... Whiskers

2011-05-29T13:02:00.004-05:00

This is Whiskers. You can't see them but he has the biggest white whiskers.
When we had the last cool spell wife had the comforter in the back to be washed to be put up for the summer. The cats loved to snuggle down in it.
Whiskers was an outside kitten but after his mom and siblings disappeared, one a week. We felt if he was to survive we had to bring him in. Wife was real upset because his brother Marbles was her fav (Black of course). I was also upset because we had just had them all fixed two weeks earlier. We think some one trapped them but don't know what they did with them. Wife was really upset for weeks.

Chicken Pita Sandwich

2011-05-26T18:11:00.002-05:00

This was a quick sandwich
Just get some pita bread and we use
2 chicken breast
season with salt and pepper and what ever seasoning you like sometimes we use Emerils or Paul Proudhomme seasonings.
cook in skillet with a little oil and then chop up.
We had some cilantro lime mayo we used (recipe on side bar)
chopped red onion,celery,lettuces and cherry tomatoes. You could add cucumber but I do not like that so I always leave it out.
And a little of your favorite cheese on top.

Steak rub

2011-05-25T18:22:00.006-05:00

Ramona this is one hubby would like.
We got lucky and found some T-bone steaks on sale or marked down and thought what the heck is been years since we splurged for a T bone.
I get to eat out when I'm on the road and have been to Outback and really like the seasoning on their steaks so I found this one on the net and its pretty good.
This was so much steak that we had it for three days. Or eyes were bigger than our stomach.LOL
4 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
8 teaspoons salt (we used a lot less and a lot depends on what salt you use. Kosher and sea salt is not as salty as the box salt so may just want to taste test the amount here)
Mix all together and rub on to steak. This is also good on hambugers.
Grill
We always grill some Polk's sausage and threw a few shrimp in the barbie also. Rounded out with sweet potatoes and califower.
Yum Yum

Cold Slaw

2011-05-24T18:10:00.004-05:00

I'm pretty sure everyone has their own favorite cold slaw recipe. I like it tart or sour and wife likes hers sweet. Most of the time its not so sweet.
And since its just us we do not use a whole head of cabbage. We use the other half later.
1/2 cabbage grated
3-4 baby carrots grated (you can add more if needed)
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon mayo and Yogurt(we are trying to use more yogurt)
more if needed
1/2 teaspoon sugar
garlic powder,Greek seasonings and dash of cayenne to taste.

Fried Corn

2011-05-23T17:16:00.000-05:00

The grocery had some corn on sale and it;s been since last summer since we had fresh corn that I could not resist. I felt it would go good with our BBQ dinner along with some cold slaw.
It has been a long time since I fried corn we have been using it in other recipes so I thought I would do an old stand by.
This is so easy and I forgot how good it can taste.
Since it is just the two of us we only used 2 ears sweet bio colored corn.
Cut it off the cob
we used our good old black cast iron skillet(reminds us of our grand mothers cooking)
a little bacon grease
butter
cream or half and half
a little water as needed
heat bacon grease and cover skillet
add corn and stir it around to coat if corn is thick add a little water.
but in a bit of butter (abut 2 tablespoons)
Cover and let corn simmer over low heat
You do need to keep and eye on it and stir it till it thickens.
We also garnished with cilantro.

Sunday Cat tree

2011-05-22T13:10:00.000-05:00

Here are some of our babies enjoying their time in the cat tree.

Smoked Pork Butts

2011-05-21T17:56:00.000-05:00

We had these two pork butts and needed to cook them so we got out the smoker before it got to hot and cooked these babies up. We have several cups put up in the freezer now so we can just pull out and eat a good BBQ sandwich when it is hotter. Of course we like the Sweet Baby Rays sauce and have several different ones. For how we cooked this see smoked meats or 7/30/10 post. It is an all day event but well worth it.
I must say we were ready to eat when it was finished.

Sunday Cats

2011-05-08T13:01:00.000-05:00

The space at the back door is at a premium when it is warm enough to open. Unfortunately it has seemed to jumped into summer and there are only a few days to open the door. They have a huge front porch but they seem to like the view of the back yard better. Baby boy(Casper)aganist the door Look how huge Sstinker is next to him and Sweetie Pie is on the left.
Just to let everyone know we have been under a boil water notice since April 26 and was just released on the 4 so we have been living on sandwiches and stuff so that we did not have much to clean up. This past weekend we were back and will post new food all next week.

Cinco de Mayo

2011-05-05T16:28:00.004-05:00

I guess in honer of Cinco de Mayo (Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day)but a celebration of the culture and experiences of Americans of Mexican ancestry.
But we are always looking for a party and we love the food.
Our favorite salsa 623/08
mexican beef casserole 3/18/11,
wet buritto 5/11/09
mexican cornbread 1/11/08

Breakfast

2011-05-02T22:03:00.004-05:00

Its been a while since we had a bird in the nest so that was on the menu this weekend. Its real easy take a glass and make a whole in your bread we toast it a little first. then crack the egg in the bread hole and cook. We have been adding a little turmeric to our oil so our eggs are looking really yellow. Wife read that the turmeric helps with reducing cholesterol. Every little bit helps. We are still under a boil water notice but is nothing compared to those affected by the tornadoes.

Sunday Cats Casper update

2011-05-01T13:28:00.001-05:00

Well our baby boy has been out of his collar of shame for a month now. We are giving him a pill everyday that's like a benadryle. He is still cleaning a little to much for wife's taste but his bald spots are healing. Believe me he looked in terrible shape with all the raw spots on him.

Wife looked up on net and found info some cats develop grain allergies.
We do not know if the science diet light they had been eating changed the formula or what but opening the bag all you could smell is corn. Sooooo.. we took up all the food and went to can only. Now with our brood this was a big step. Think litter box.
Believe it or not after a few days there was less litter box mess and less water consumption.(at lest that's what wife said.) One side note is all the big fat cats are losing weight!

Since the boil water notice has been on we did get some dry food to put down and it is Wilderness by Blue Buffalo that has no grain. Very expensive but they love it. It is intended as a treat not full time.

Here is Casper squeezed by the window. You can see his bald spot filling in. He is so happy to be out of the room with Ms T and have the run of the house again.

Pineapple Casserole

2011-04-29T17:49:00.003-05:00

We would like to thank Deep South for this little gem. Here is the site for the recipe. http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2011/04/ritz-cracker-baked-pineapple-casserole.html
Go visit her site as she does have some yum dishes over there.
My wife's mother is from Houma La. and she loves to go look at her site. Now her mother cooks some things a little different but its all good.

1 20 oz and
1 8 oz can of crushed pineapple
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups crushed Ritz crackers
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese and
1/2 cup of the cheese to top
1/2 stick butter cut in thin pieces

Preheat oven to 350
We used a 9 .5" pie Pyrex dish lightly greased with butter.
Crush crackers in a plastic bag with a rolling pin and set aside.
take the can of pineapple and drain the juice in a sauce pan add sugar.
Cook over medium high heat stirring till sugar melts and a syrup forms. This took about 20 minutes all I can say is eyeball it.
Now add pineapple and sir till blended.
Pour 1/2 of pineapple mixture in dish top with 1 cup of crushed crackers place 1/2 of butter slices on top and sprinkle 1 cup cheese.
Repeat layers reserve last 1/2 cup of cheese.
Bake uncovered for 25 minutes till bubbly. Remove and place last cheese on top and place in oven till cheese is melted. Melt in your mouth goodness.

Bad weather

2011-04-28T18:45:00.000-05:00

Just want to say we are praying and thinking of everyone who has been threw this latest tornado outbreak.

Wife was watching live streaming on line of Birmingham as that's where her family lives as it was hitting Birmingham. Her sister in Pinson had debris from T town in her yard. They are all ok but for my mother in law it was just to close for her. The pictures are just hard to believe.

Here in our little town we were spared but it was all around us. WE have to boil water and we had to throw a bunch of stuff out from the refrigerator as the electricity was out over 6 hours. We are just glad to have water and a home. With that said I thought I would post a list of stuff we got from USDA. We were out over 8hours so we had to throw a good bit away. SO we hope to be better prepared as hurricane season is coming.
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/keeping_food_safe_during_an_emergency/index.asp

Always keep meat, poultry, fish, and eggs refrigerated at or below 40 °F and frozen food at or below 0 °F. This may be difficult when the power is out.

Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature. The refrigerator will keep food safely cold for about 4 hours if it is unopened. A full freezer will hold the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed.
When to Save and When to Throw It Out
FOOD Held above 40 °F for over 2 hours
MEAT, POULTRY, SEAFOOD
Raw or leftover cooked meat, poultry, fish, or seafood; soy meat substitutes
Discard
Thawing meat or poultry Discard
Meat, tuna, shrimp,chicken, or egg salad Discard
Gravy, stuffing, broth Discard
Lunchmeats, hot dogs, bacon, sausage, dried beef Discard
Pizza – with any topping Discard
Canned hams labeled "Keep Refrigerated" Discard
Canned meats and fish, opened Discard
CHEESE
Soft Cheeses: blue/bleu, Roquefort, Brie, Camembert, cottage, cream, Edam, Monterey Jack, ricotta, mozzarella, Muenster, Neufchatel, queso blanco, queso fresco
Discard
Hard Cheeses: Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, Parmesan, provolone, Romano Safe
Processed Cheeses Safe
Shredded Cheeses Discard
Low-fat Cheeses Discard
Grated Parmesan, Romano, or combination (in can or jar) Safe
DAIRY
Milk, cream, sour cream, buttermilk, evaporated milk, yogurt, eggnog, soy milk
Discard
Butter, margarine Safe
Baby formula, opened Discard
EGGS
Fresh eggs, hard-cooked in shell, egg dishes, egg products
Discard
Custards and puddings Discard
CASSEROLES, SOUPS, STEWS Discard
FRUITS
Fresh fruits, cut
Discard
Fruit juices, opened Safe
Canned fruits, opened Safe
Fresh fruits, coconut, raisins, dried fruits, candied fruits, dates Safe
SAUCES, SPREADS, JAMS
Opened mayonnaise, tartar sauce, horseradish
Discard if above 50 °F for over 8 hrs.
Peanut butter Safe
Jelly, relish, taco sauce, mustard, catsup, olives, pickles Safe
Worcestershire, soy, barbecue, Hoisin sauces Safe
Fish sauces (oyster sauce) Discard
Opened vinegar-based dressings Safe
Opened creamy-based dressings Discard
Spaghetti sauce, opened jar Discard
BREAD, CAKES, COOKIES,PASTA, GRAINS
Bread, rolls, cakes, muffins, quick breads, tortillas
Safe
Refrigerator biscuits,rolls, cookie dough Discard
Cooked pasta, rice, potatoes Discard
Pasta salads with mayonnaise or vinaigrette Discard
Fresh pasta Discard
Cheesecake Discard
Breakfast foods –waffles, pancakes, bagels Safe
PIES, PASTRY
Pastries, cream filled
Discard
Pies – custard,cheese filled, or chiffon; quiche Discard
Pies, fruit Safe
VEGETABLES
Fresh mushrooms, herbs, spices
Safe
Greens, pre-cut, pre-washed, packaged Discard
Vegetables, raw Safe
Vegetables, cooked; tofu Discard
Vegetable juice, opened Discard
Baked potatoes Discard
Commercial garlic in oil Discard
Potato Salad

Chicken Scaloppine

2011-04-27T18:30:00.001-05:00

This recipe comes from ehow.com
We have a bunch of chicken and like to find new ways to fix it. And this was another winner and we will make it again.

two chicken breast boneless
3 Tablespoons of flour
1/2 teaspoons of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
cooking spray
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1/2 cup white wine or chicken broth
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 lb mushrooms sliced
4-5 green onions thinly sliced
capers (optional but they do add a burst of flavor we liked it)
rice or pasta we used pasta
(Note.....we felt this needed a little ummph so we added a little garlic and red pepper flakes.to taste)

Cut chicken into 1/2 to 2 inch pieces
in large skillet use cooking spray add oil and place over med high heat.
Cook chicken till until pinkness is gone.
Add onions and mushrooms,capers and cook for about 2 minutes stirring to get onions and mushrooms heated.
Add wine or chicken broth, and lemon to skillet bringing to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for about 2 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened.
Serve over pasta or rice

Chicken tenders

2011-04-26T18:09:00.001-05:00

Who has not tried Cracker Barrel's chicken tenders. Wife loves them so we found a copy cat recipe and gave it a try. Well it was close but still missing something.
Now we did cook in skillet instead of grilling but the taste was a little off. Most people in the comment sections said they were better grilled. Maybe a splash of teriyaki sauce would do the trick and a little red pepper flakes. Any way they were good with a hot biscuit and easy and quick for a week night. We also did half of the recipe just for the two of us.

1lb ck tenders
1/2 cup Italian dressing
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 1/2 honey

Mix dressing lime,chicken and honey in plastic bag and marinate for one hour.
Cook in pan or on grill until golden brown.

Sunday Cats

2011-04-24T13:05:00.001-05:00

This is a picture of Miss Itty and Boots before he passed. Ms Itty (aka Cleo Patches)and Boots were the best of friends. She has been grieving and we hear her calling like she used to for him. It is so sad..
Ms Itty and Ms T are our only females and the boys seem to pick on them real bad. We have to keep Ms T separated from them as it is war when she is out. Ms Itty is out with the boys but they have her scared and hiding all the time. She seems to be a little better now Romeo lets her come lay with him but the younger ones are picking on him to now.

Mint Tea

2011-04-22T18:09:00.002-05:00

The other day we mentioned that we forgot to make mint tea to go with our meal of Chicken Shwarma. This was our take on how to make it. We used Lipton 6 bags cold brew and made as usual. 1 to 3/4 cups sugar fill picture almost to top with water with bags in container. While this is steeping we took two bags Plantation mint (spearmint) that we steeped for 2-5 minutes in cup of boiling water. Then add to picture squeezing the bags and stir to blend.
I'm sure we will find other recipes but this is what we had on hand and it turned out pretty good.
Our mint plant is just showing and we will be using that when it gets a little bigger.

Moroccan Chicken Casserole

2011-04-21T18:29:00.003-05:00

Wife made this and the whole house smelled great when I got home. But I must say it did not ring my bell as much as it did hers. In all fairness it was better the next day.
Funny when something has all the ingredients you love but does not rock the boat.
I think it had to much ginger and that it was a little overpowering so if you are not used to ginger very much I would half it.
1 head cauliflower
2-3 pounds chicken
2 Tablespoons butter
1 onion finely chopped
1 Tablespoon ginger finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 carrots chopped 2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 red pepper cut in thin strips
28 oz can of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup minced cilantro
2 teaspoon salt
1 lemon
Preheat oven to 375
The base of the casserole is cauliflower grated into a rice like texture. spread the cauliflower in a 9x13 greased baking pan
Salt and pepper chicken and melt 1 teaspoon butter in a deep skillet over high heat.
Brown chicken about 3-5 minutes on each side. Remove to side
Turn down heat to medium and onion,ginger,garlic,and carrots. Cook till onions are soft, add remaining butter and all spices and stir well.
Add red pepper,can of tomatoes cilintro and salt. Return chicken to pan and simmer for 3-5 minutes.
Pour the chicken mixture over the cauliflower and make sure it is all covered by the sauce.
Slice a lemon in thin pieces and lay on top. Cover the pan and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and cook another 25 minutes more. Garnis with clintro.

New cookware

2011-04-20T18:28:00.000-05:00

With all the news out about how we are being poisoned by Teflon that is flaking off we took a good look at our cookware and decided we needed some new stuff. So each month we are getting a new piece. This is my new skillet. Now what to cook in it.